Orlowski: As Issued celebrates 2 years

The 250 square feet of book store As Issued are packed with a carefully curated selection art and design books.

It’s a small space. Cupboard size, almost. But two years after opening in that location, owner Dana “DJ” Jazayeri, who has had similar ventures in other locations, doesn’t want to grow or change.

“I know what big feels like. I know what growth feels like. I went from a small location to one with 30,000 square feet. There’s always bigger there’s always better, but it’s not necessarily what’s right,” said Jazayeri, who celebrated the store’s two year anniversary Saturday.

A no-growth mentality may seem foreign here, in this day and age, when increasing revenue, doubling profits and expanding square footage occupy the daydreams of any self-respecting business executive. The only conceivable growth Jazayeri can imagine is a satellite location, maybe in San Francisco, but he doesn’t speak of that with much conviction.

Running a book store hasn’t been without its challenges, the foremost of which is the very proposition of a bookstore itself, according to Jazayeri.

Like bookstores nationwide, Jazayeri has to grapple with whether running a bookstore is a losing proposition in the face of the digital world and the Internet. In a publishing industry searching for its future, some argue that novelty books – ones with stylistic printing and binding that can’t be replicated digitally – are the way of the future.

If so, Jazayeri’s store is on the forefront of what might be the surviving wave of publishing. He carries only a copy or two of the books he stocks. If you see a book there today, and come back a couple months later, it might not be there. But, he says, something new will be.

The problem for Jazayeri is that some customers peruse books at his store but choose to buy elsewhere.

“Book stores are dying breeds. People come in and they treat us like a showroom and then they go to Amazon – predatory pricing – and I can’t compete with them and that’s one of the things that irks me the most,” Jazayeri said.

As Issued is in the Lab Antimall on Bristol Street, next to a hair salon and across from Urban Outfitters and the Gypsy Den. Jazayeri said he chose the space not for the foot traffic the shopping area generates, but because he can use some of the mall’s space for events.

The store doesn’t draw much walk-in traffic, Jazayeri said. Most customers seek the store out, either because they’re interested in contemporary art, or they might need some inspiration for a design project they’re working on for work.

Jazayeri was vague on how he selects what he stocks, an enigmatic process he barely understands himself. He chooses design books that are useful and relevant, including a collection of books that come with CDs loaded with fonts. For contemporary art, selection is easier.

“It’s what’s happening right now. It’s what people are seeing, what’s trending right now,” he said.

Helping customers find just what they’re looking for is something Jazayeri prides himself on.

“We’re the only one that sells this type of product in Orange County. Sure you might go into Barnes & Noble or a book box store and find these certain kinds of books, but it’s not as curated as I can offer,” he said. “I’m the only one bringing ‘X’ artist down to Orange County so you can meet him and get your book signed by him.”